| Author |
Message |
    
Smith Mize
Member
Username: headachetil2008
Post Number: 48
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 3:03 am: | 
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Hey- I know that there was a brand new Renault loaded along with the exotic The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam worth about $33,000 today's money! But whose car was it, and what else interesting was loaded?
- Smith sammith77@msn.com |
Mark Chirnside
Member
Username: mark
Post Number: 1336
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 10:01 am: |
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Would Dragon's blood be considered interesting?  (No, I ain't kidding.)
Best,
Mark.
Mark Chirnside, Warwickshire, England
http://www.hospitalshipbritannic.com/rms_britannic.htm
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Smith Mize
Member
Username: headachetil2008
Post Number: 50
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 3:57 pm: |
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Brown Brothers and Company shipped 76 cases of dragon's blood- the sap from a type of tree found on Canary Islands, it was used to color wood varnish and women's makeup...
Lol, it would've been quite interesting had they shipped what you'd think dragon's blood would be. But it wasn't. I don't like the name very much, it's very deceiving...
- Smith sammith77@msn.com |
Mark Chirnside
Member
Username: mark
Post Number: 1340
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 4:24 pm: |
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Well, yes.
Best,
Mark.
Mark Chirnside, Warwickshire, England
http://www.hospitalshipbritannic.com/rms_britannic.htm
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Fiona Nitschke
Moderator
Username: beckwith
Post Number: 382
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Sunday, January 19, 2003 - 12:16 am: |
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Lol, it would've been quite interesting had they shipped what you'd think dragon's blood would be. But it wasn't. I don't like the name very much, it's very deceiving... ====================================
LOL! I quite like the name and think it delightfully evocative and an indication of the substance's colouring qualities if nothing else. Also, in the context of the times, people knew exactly what they were getting with 'dragon's blood'. There's just as many potentially 'deceptive' names for things around now, that if they were interpreted literally would lead to some interesting times.... Gosh, reminds me of the 'fuller's earth' conversation a while back.
I believe it was the extract from the East Indian Palm (Calamus draco) that was used in artists' varnishes, etc, and extracts from other plants that were used in pharmacopoeia. According to Brewer's (yes, I did look this up) there's a nice mythological link back to Seigfried bathing in dragon's blood to give himself immunity from injury - of course a linden leaf fell on him during the process, thus he wasn't completely bathed after all. Shades of Achilles, anyone? There's also a process called/using 'dragon's blood' in printmaking that provides a resist for parts of the image being printed: you can see the link to Seigfried's bath, don't you. And I never thought I'd get to write this on ET - want to come up and see my etchings sometime... ;) |
Dave Gittins
Member
Username: gittins
Post Number: 1044
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 19, 2003 - 4:42 am: |
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Wells Fargo was going to make the world's biggest eggnog, using a case of whiskey and a case of eggs. (See cargo list) |
